7 EXPERT — CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Nickname: The G-Man

What are your local teams? Are you on one? I have no idea what my local teams are, but I know I’m not on one! Someone please sponsor me.

What is your local track and how often do you ride there? I ride at Rockford BMX. It is my favorite track! I don’t ride as often as I would like.

How long have you been racing? I’ve been in the game now for 15 months.

What are your accomplishments so far in BMX? In 2008: IL State Champ, 3rd at ABA Grands. In 2009: I won 15 Nationals! Grand National Champion! IL State Champ #1! Redline Cup/Regional Champion #1! NAG #1

What got you interested in BMX in the beginning? My dad took me to the track when I was three. I thought it was cool with the kids jumping and everything, but the sandbox they had there was a little cooler at the time. Sometime after, I found my dad’s trophy collection in the basement. I thought that was way cool! After boycotting my bicycle for a full year, at five I gave it another shot in front of the house. It worked! I got it! A few days later when my dad was driving me home from school, I blurted out, ‘I want a trophy like you, Dad!’ He said, ‘Practice starts in 30 minutes.’ The rest is history.

What about the sport has kept you interested? Building my trophy collection!

What parts of racing have come naturally and what do you need the most work on? Going fast came naturally, but I need to improve my manualing.

What challenges have you encountered so far in your racing and how did you overcome them? Understanding that second place is OK. I overcome that by trying harder not to get second! LOL!

Have you brought your friends out to the track? What did they think? Yes, I have brought four friends out and they thought ‘WOW’! Then they said, ‘I’ll never be able to do that!’ I’m still trying to convince them to come back.

Do you play any other sports? Besides BMX, I play soccer, and I play the drums. I am also a Cub Scout!

Who are some people you look up to and why? My dad because he has taught me everything I know. Erik Meyer because he is the 10-year-old “Michael Jordan” of BMX. Felica Stancil because she never gives up, and she’s so cute! Tommy Zula because he is unstoppable and does helicopters!

What is the best advice you’ve received since you started racing? Pedal all the way to the finish—everytime!

What’s hanging on your bedroom wall? SpiderMan pictures, ghouls, goblins, spiderwebs and bats (it’s Halloween).

If I gave you $100 right now, what would you buy with it? I would buy a huge thousand-piece Batman Lego set.

Something you did that you never want to do again: I once fell off some steel whoop-de-dos at the skate park and face-planted on the concrete from four feet up! Shame on me (and Dad), I forgot my helmet.

Goals in BMX: Short-term: To manual. Long-term: Ride on the Olympic track.

Thanks? I would like to give a big thank you to my dad for all his help, and to my mom for taking great videos of my races. A super big thanks to Mike Carruth for taking the greatest pictures of me in the world. Thank you to Nana & Poppa for coming to see me race, and to everyone out there that has been in my corner. Thank you!

FAVORITE…

Track: Rockford BMX

Pro: Mike Day. He gave me a high-five while I was waiting in staging!

Food: Pizza

Drink: Lemonade

TV Show: SpongeBob

Band: I rock out to Michael Jackson. My favorite song is Jam! I also like KISS. My mom made me up like Dragonman, and we went to the concert in the front row! It was awesome!

Movie: The Incredibles, but I’m faster than Dash!

Sports Team: I like watching Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, and Pelé because they are the best at their sports.

Racing Memory: Hands down, winning the NBL Grands!